Process for decorating floor coverings



Patented Nov. 12, 1929 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES 0. KARPF,'OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MANNINGTON MILLS, INC., OF SALEM, ANEIN JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY 1PROCESS. FOR 'DECORATING FLOOR COVERINGS Application led November 2, 1927. Serial No. 230,601.

more expensive inlaid linoleums. The serviceability of such Hoor covering is unquestioned and the purchase of the more expensive linoleums is primarily because of their superior appearance. It is the object of my invention toso decorate the wear surface of y an asphalt felt base floor covering that the appearance of inlaid linoleum will be effectively simulated. Y ,e

In printing fioor covering I have found that if alternatesquares in a checkerboard pattern are outlined in colors or shades of the main bodies of the adjacent squares that an appearance which resembles inlaid linoleum results. It is the object of my invention to decorate a printed rug accordingly.

The decorating of ioor coverings may be done in a great many ways, and while I do not wish to be limited to the use of any particular manner of applying the colored or shaded coatings as the simplest method of printing a oor mat or rug, a base color coatlng of good Hoor paint is rst applied. After this has dried the design is applied usually with mottled portions of the base coloring showing through gi"v1ng the designa grained or mottled appearance.

I have illustrated in the drawings several diiferent arrangements which will illustrate the principle of outlining certain squares or blocks so as to give the appearance of-an inlaid pattern.

In the drawings Y Figure 1 is a checkerboard design in which the mat is decorated with alternatively brown and green squares, with the green squares outlined with brown lines of a similar shade as that of the brown squares.

Figure 2 is the reverse o'f Figure 1 in which -there arev alternating green and brown squares, with the brown squares .outlined with green lines of a shade similar tothat of the green squares.

In the drawings the checkerboard designs are planned with equal/sized squares. "l in Figure 1 the mat might be divided by imaginary lines such as are indicated by the lines a-a,. This would divide the mat up into five green and four brown squares of equal size.. A border of brown is then extended to form an outlining band of brown around each green square. The result is that the mat appears to the eye as having a brownbackground with green squares set into it, and the inlaid appearance is achieved.

In Figure 2 the mat might be divided by imaginary lines such as are indicated by the lines Z2-b. This would likewise divide the mat into equal squares. A border of green is then extended so as to form outlining bands of green around ,each brown square. The result in this case is that themat has the appearance of a .green background with "o brown squares inlaid into it.

AIn both cases the visual impression is undoubtedly aided by the extension of the bor` der of one colored square as -an outlining border for an adjacent square. This allows the eye to pass without a break -from one square of one color diagonally to the adjacent square of the same col'or, and the squares which are not outlined thus appear to be inlaid. 80

Many modifications in the art of laying out the color or shade design for floor coverings will readily occur to those skilled in the art when the principle is once understood. A design of diamond shaped or circular blocks may be laid out in the same way with successive rows having a uniform appearance, and the alternating rows appearing to be set in the color ground of the uniform rows. It will further be possible to decorate each of the squares with a mottled color of two or more vshades and outline the alternating squares with one or the other of the shades or colors used to make up the mottled design.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The art of decorating printed'loor covering with designs having the appearance of rows of similarly shaped and similarly toned elements alternating in one direction across the covering and touching and blending one with another in another direction, and decorating the spaces intervening between the al- "ternating rows with similar elements having diii'erent tones. f

2. The art of decorating printed floor coverings with checkerboard designs, which will have the appearance .of an inlaid pattern,

which consists in arranging alternate rows of similarly toned squares in one direction across the covering, and in arranging contiguous squares of similar tone'in directions at diag'- onals with the alignment of the alternate rows, and iilling in the spaces not covered by the alternate rows with the shaded areas of different tone, said areas being completelyl :Outlined in a shade similar to that of the l 20v rstmentioned shaded squares.

3v. The art of decorating printed oor coverings with designs simulating inlaid atterns, which consists in arranging a chec erboard design of alternating squares of contrasting tones, and outlining the alternating squares havin a similar tone with a border of the tone o squares having a contrasting tone.

4. A printed floor covering comprising a1- ternate contrasting elements arranged in a contiguous checker board design, one set of elements outlined in the tone of the other set whereby the said first set of elements appears to be inlaid. I

CHARLES O. KARPF. 

